Our Toastmaster for the day was Sharon Patish who did an excellent job as TM. The theme of the meeting was LISTENING.

The 1st speaker was Jorge de Cardenas who honored us with his Ice Breaker. He opened by saying he would be sharing 3 things about himself. 1) He had no direction. We learned from Jorge that he was a B student throughout H.S. and only studied once for a test. He had no direction but fortunately due to an older brother there came a turning point. One day his brother pointed out that if he did not study he would wind up working for a fast food place. If he was fine with it then be it, otherwise he needed an education. As a result, Jorge enrolled in MDC and got all As. 2) Family: when he met his wife Jane he thought she was beautiful. They started dating but shortly thereafter he was transferred to Venezuela so they broke up. When he returned, he called her but she was seeing someone else. Jorge continued to insist and she finally said yes. He is glad he was so persistent because they have now been happily married for 17 years and have 3 children. 3) Business: Jorge graduated with a degree in Accounting. He went to work for an Auditor and learned about different industries and how the businesses are run. Jorge was particularly interested in Hedge Funds and saw an opportunity to calculate profit and loss and be transparent for a business that is difficult to understand for most. He started his own business in the field and today the company has 140 employees and $22 billion in assets under administration.

The 2nd speaker was Jody Johnson who showed us how to get into our flow and create wealth. Successful entrepeneurs focus where they are strong and unsuccessful entrepeneurs want to do everything on their own. This is why it is important to know your strengths and weaknesses. Jody presented the method to determine one’s wealth profile depending on one’s personality. There are several traits, creator/supporter/deal maker/trader/accumulator/lord/mechanic/. It is important to know what your strengths are in order to make your business successful but it is also equally important knowing your employees strengths. Jody gave the example of a client who had the LORD trait. He had no experience in the business but had the ability to see the company had 21% waste and was able to reduce wasteto 1%. Jody finished by referring us to the handouts and encouraging us to take the wealth dynamics test.

Jason Hesch was the Table Topics Master who had a unique way for contestants to LISTEN. Jason had us listen to musical themes and speak about what the melody reminded us.

1) Nick Zwemer said the theme reminded him of dinosaurs however, it was the Back to the Future theme.

2) Gonzalo Sanabria had no idea about the theme but said it reminded him of his state of mind in the morning. He has scrambled thoughts and is not always sure whether he should heed his own advice; his mind is always playing tricks on him.

3) Jane de Cardenas was not sure about the theme but said the song made her bouncy and happy and not grouchy like she feels in the morning

4) Sharon Patish thought the music was before her time, perhaps from the 40s during WWII. For a minute she thought it was something about cooking and was hoping they would throw in a recipe.

5) Alexandre Moreira said the theme reminded him of the 50s, NYC and Frank Sinatra. He was recently in NYC and was amazed being in Grand Central Station and how pleasures in life can be very small.

6) Felix Lorenzo congratulated Jason on his idea. He said he had no idea of the theme but coming from Cuba all you need are 2 hands to make noise. He listens to all types of music but never misses the opportunity to play salsa then you will see everyone dancing.

7) Ghislaine Demombynes said it was incredible how music changes your mood. She always works in silence but this reminds her how positive listening to music can be.

1st Place: Felix Lorenzo

2nd Place: Alex Moreira

3rd Place: Nick Zwemer

Master Evaluator: Lina Draney gave a thorough and positive evaluation of the meeting

Evaluator 1: Chris Wolfe evaluated Jorge de Cardenas’ Ice Breaker. Chris liked that the speech was broken into 3 parts and how Jorge explained this from the start. Good hand gestures, volume and fluctuation, likeable guy. Improvements: ums and ahs can be replaced by silence. Remove hand from pockets. Do not turn to back wall. Outstanding Ice Breaker. Jorge is a diamond in the rough.

Evaluator 2: Tu Duong evaluated Jody Johnson’s speech. He liked that she started with a question to the audience. She has a soft, clear voice and was well prepared. Jody always brings something new and makes a complex topic simple by giving a clear message. Improve: topic too long for such a short meeting.

Our President and Toastmaster, Sharon Patish welcomed new members Arlene Amitrigala and Jane de Cardenas.